The Calgary Flames sure are going to miss Rasmus Andersson after he’s traded.
A prime example of just how important the 29-year-old Swede is to the Flames was on display Tuesday in Columbus when he did well to turn a game around in an instant.
Halfway through a second period in which the Flames were down 2-0 and had yet to record a shot, Andersson took matters into his own hands by dropping the gloves with Boone Jenner.
Unhappy with a hit on him delivered by the Blue Jackets captain, Andersson gave his host a light slash on the back of the legs as he skated away, prompting a face-to-face exchange that turned into a fight.
Despite the risk of injury affecting his Olympic participation, not to mention his ability to be traded to a contender, Andersson did his part to turn the fortunes of a struggling club that needed a boost against a host club energized by a new coach.
As he skated to the penalty box to serve his first fighting major in four years, he turned to his bench, urging his team on.
It worked.
Three minutes later, Morgan Frost snapped a 12-game goalless skid that also marked the team’s first power-play goal in five games.
In the final minute of the period, Andersson himself tied the game 2-2 with a power-play blast from the point that set up an entertaining third period in which the Flames battled back again, only to fall 5-3.
“I thought Ras stepping up, fighting there, brought some energy to the group,” said Mikael Backlund, who scored the team’s third power-play goal of the night in the third, tying the game 3-3.
“Getting out of his comfort zone. I don’t know if that was his third or fourth fight of his career. That was a great time to do it, to step up for his teammates, bring some energy, and then score a big goal.”
According to hockeyfights.com, it was Andersson’s fifth NHL fight, and it came at the perfect time for a team that had been kept in the game to that point only by another solid showing by Dustin Wolf.
“Obviously, I want to give the team a spark,” explained Andersson, who also had three hits and three shots on goal.
“It was the first time in a long time I was fighting. I’m not really used to it. It worked out for us, and probably worked out for them in the end, too.”
He’s right, as Jenner broke a 3-3 tie with 1:34 remaining to give Rick Bowness a win in his debut with the Jackets, one day after the team hired him to replace Dean Evason.
It left the Flames 1-3 on a road trip that mercifully concludes Thursday in Chicago.
It’s anyone’s guess if Andersson will still be a Flame by then, as talks have been heating up with potential suitors for the pending UFA.
The Flames would like to cash in on Andersson before the Olympic trade freeze, and with the fight and several painful blocked shots of late reminding management of the risk of injury involved with every game he plays, you can bet they’d like to get a deal done soon.
“I thought Ras was a good player for us, in different ways,” said Ryan Huska, who got multi-point outings from second power-play unit players like Connor Zary, Yegor Sharangovich, Frost and Backlund.
“The energy, the emotion that he played the game with, I think was important for our group, because I don’t think we had a lot of it in the first period, with the exception of a few players.”
Interestingly, when the Flames pulled the goalie for an extra attacker, neither Nazem Kadri nor Jonathan Huberdeau were on the ice.
Earlier in the day, Andersson was part of a touching scene during the Flames’ morning skate, as Johnny Gaudreau’s three-year-old daughter, Noa, and her family got a chance to spend some time with Uncle Ras.
“It is really special to come out here and get to see them,” said Andersson, with Noa sitting next to him in his stall, wearing her Flames jacket.
“It fulfills your heart. Especially when you live that far away, and you can’t see them on a regular basis, every opportunity we get to see them, we make sure we do.”
Andersson and Flames equipment manager Mark DePasquale headed over to Meredith Gaudreau’s Columbus home on Monday to spend time with Noa, Johnny Jr. and Carter.
“It was nice to just hang out at their house for a little bit and help in any way we can,” said Andersson, who was given two lollipops by Noa for his kids.
“It’s great to see them (in the dressing room). They put a smile on everyone’s face when they’re here for sure.
“Last time I saw them was last year when we were here. Carter wasn’t even born when we were here, and now he’s nine months.”
Longtime Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed Aug. 29, 2024, when they were hit by an alleged drunk driver while they rode their bikes home from their sister’s wedding rehearsal.
Andersson said his last visit to Columbus was the toughest game he’s ever played in, as it marked his first time there since the tragedy.
As a tribute to his longtime friend and teammate, Andersson has Gaudreau’s name emblazoned on the tongue of his skate.
The Lines
The Flames made a couple of roster moves on Tuesday, as Martin Pospisil moved from injured reserve to the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) list and was assigned to the Wranglers on a conditioning loan. Pospisil, who has yet to play this season following a pre-season injury, practised with the Wranglers on Tuesday.
Blake Coleman was moved to IR with an upper-body injury but is not considered to be out much more than day-to-day.
Huberdeau-Kadri-Farabee
Sharangovich-Backlund-Coronato
Zary-Frost-Klapka
Lomberg-Kirkland-Stromgren
Bahl-Andersson
Kuznetsov-Weegar
Hanley-Pachal
Wolf
Cooley
